Advantages

Disadvantages

A great monocular for hiking

I very often find it troublesome to focus binoculars, and if you are going on a long trek lugging a set around with you can impede on your enjoyment. I very often resort to taking my monocular instead, as it is less troublesome in this respect, and simpler to set the focus.

The Opticron monocular measures 14cm in length, so you can slip it into your bag or just carry it in your hand. The latter presents no problem, as the device has a thick rubber coating (which also renders it waterproof) that is textured, and has three finger grooves for good grip. Whenever I hold the monocular it feels very secure in my hand, and I have never worried about it slipping from my grasp. I have a tendency to be quite clumsy, so this aspect of the product is ideal for me.

The minimum focusing distance is 5m, and images can be magnified up to eight times. This may not suffice for those hoping to use the monocular for the likes of distant birdwatching, but for my own needs this is more than sufficient. I use it on hiking expeditions, and when I am scouring the hillsides looking for wildlife and other things of interest the monocular greatly aids me. I personally am not a wearer of spectacles, but those who are may be interested in learning that this product offers eye relief for people with their needs. The rubber disc around the viewing area is malleable, so even if you bring it to your face too fast it has no hard edges to give you a black eye.

To focus you must simply turn the dial at the end of the device, and from there it usually takes little effort to attain a clear image of your target. The dial can be fairly stiff however, so if you are looking to get a glance of a fleeting object you may well miss it in your attempt to find a clear picture. This has happened to me on more than one occasion. I had hoped that the dial would become less stiff with use, but this has not been the case. It does, however, mean that if you wish to keep the focus at a certain setting it is unlikely to be inadvertently altered during transportation or movement of the device.

For £70 this is a reliable, fairly compact monocular that you can feel secure about using around water. I have never fully submerged the device and would not feel entirely confident about doing so, but I have taken it out during the rain and always found its performance to be unhindered by a few splashes of water. It may also be of use to those with children, as its resilient nature will ensure that a bit of clumsiness will not damage the device in the long term.